


A Firework Of Echoes

by BetsyByron



Category: Sixth Sense (1999), X-Men - All Media Types, X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crossover, Gen, Mutants, Mutation, School
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-25
Updated: 2013-08-25
Packaged: 2017-12-24 16:15:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/941977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BetsyByron/pseuds/BetsyByron
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A few years after Cole learnt to live with his sixth sense, he finds out he's not alone. He's a mutant. And there is a place for him in the world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Firework Of Echoes

**Author's Note:**

> There are a ridiculously low amount of Sixth Sense work here - but I guess crossovers are the way to make it happen. Here's my little contribution.

There’s a knock on his door on the morning of his thirteen’s birthday. His mother curses that she’s already late and asks him to get the door, running to the bathroom at the back of the flat to fix her hair and makeup.

Cole opens the door to a young man; a smiling, blue-eyed, kind-looking man in a casual suit. He looks like he might be selling something.

“Good morning.” The man says.

“Good morning.” Cole answers. “My mom is back there, I’m sorry, I don’t know if she has the time.”

“Actually.” The man smiles again. “I came to see you, Cole.”

Cole frowns. He’s heard that before, from the rare sane or polite ghosts he’s met, those who had some coherence left, and had an inkling that they were, in fact, dead. But since when did ghosts ring the doorbell?

“I’m not a ghost.” The man assures him. “My name is Charles Xavier, and I think I can help you.”

“Cole?” His mother calls from the back. “Who is it?”

“It’s not a good time, I’m sorry about that.” Xavier apologizes. “Can I come back tonight to talk to you and your mom?”

“About what?” Cole asks defensively. “I don’t need help.”

“About your ability.” The other answers. “And your future.”

Mrs Sear emerges from the bathroom, attaching an earring, and smiles quizzically at the man at the door.

“Hello?”

“Good morning.” Xavier repeats, still as smooth. “I am sorry to bother you at such an early hour; I will come back later if you allow me. I would like to discuss Cole’s gift with you both.”

“I have a minute.” Lynn throws, pulling her son closer to her. “What do you mean Cole’s _gift_?”

She’s bordering on aggressive; she has always been like this when it came to Cole.

“I’m sure you know what I mean.” Xavier smiles. “Please don’t see me as a threat, Mrs Sear. I am simply trying to give children like Cole a place in the world. I know there has been...issues, at his latest school. I would like to offer him a place in my establishment.”

He hands her a leaflet, with a picture of a beautiful mansion and reading ‘ _Xavier’s school for gifted youngsters’_.

“You don’t need to read it.” He says with a chuckle. “It’s a cover, mostly. Even the parents are not always in the know, my own mother never knew about me, but you are aware of your son’s mutation, so let’s speak honestly. I-”

“His what?” She cuts him short, opening wide eyes. 

“Mutation.” Xavier repeats naturally. “His ability, his gift. I-”

“There are others?” He’s interrupted again, by Cole this time. “You said ‘children like me’. There are others?”

Charles smiles. _Yes, Cole_. His lips haven’t parted. _You are not alone_.

*

Lynn called in sick, in the end, and is sitting on the couch with her second mug of tea, still baffled. Charles has been explaining, and demonstrating, the vast variety of mutations that exist in the world. Cole has fallen very silent.

“I’m not sure the world is ready for us yet.” He further exposes. “Which is why Cole, like others, may have a hard time at school and in the wider society.”

“Less than others.” Cole points out.

He remembers the young girl with white hair he has seen in Xavier’s mind when the man projected illustrations to his story, not to mention the one who was _blue_.

“It’s true.” The man admits. “But you have a dangerous mutation. By being able to see the dead, you are giving them, in spite of yourself, a power over you.”

“They used to hurt me.” Cole confirms. “Before I talked to them.”

“Yes.” Xavier nods. “And you have managed to find some control over it, it is incredible, at such a young age. Mutations are not always present from birth, yours was, and it could have killed you.”

His brow is knitted in concern.

“You are a very special person, Cole.” He adds, his features softening again.

Cole appreciates that he didn’t say _child_.

“So hum.” Lynn clears her throat. “What, what would Cole do in your school?”

“I’ll teach the normal curriculum, of course.” Xavier assures. “They won’t get behind in any way. Cole will be well equipped to get any job he wants in the future. What I seek to add is...control.”

“Over his...” She coughs again, uncomfortable. “Mutation?”

“Yes. By learning more about it, and training.” He turns to Cole. “Every ability is different, and we need to work together to figure out the extent of each one of them, but I can probably teach you to be a better master of yours. Keep the ghosts away, or call them to you. Make them wait without running the risk that they hurt you from impatience. You could live a more normal life, and slit them in only when you want to.”

Cole turns to his mother, questioning her with his eyes. He wants this. He has been living in more peace with the ghosts for a few years, since Dr Crowe gave him the idea to listen instead of hide, but more often than not he can feel the control slip away, and his sixth sense – _mutation_ – take over his life and sanity. He is still scared. He wants to stop being scared.

Lynn is obviously at a loss.

“This...” She takes the leaflet, scanning it with blank eyes. “Uh, this is in New York?”

“Not very far from New York City, yes.” Charles confirms. “It’s just about a two-hour and a half drive from here. Of course you can visit Cole whenever you like.”

There’s a moment of silence, and Xavier casts them a kind smile again.

“I’ll let you think about it. The start of the academic year is in another month, take your time.”

“How big is the school?” Lynn asks, looking at the leaflet again, as he was about to get up and take his leave.

She’s thinking she’s never seen a mansion this huge that was still lived in – let alone met the person claiming to live in it – and inviting her _son_ to come and live there too. Jesus. It reminds her of English castles and heritage sites she sees on TV.

“The house itself is vast.” Xavier answers. “But it’s only going to be one class, a dozen students maybe, between twelve and eighteen years old. I’ll attend to everyone to the best of my abilities – and theirs. Each student will have a room, for now, and when we expand we’ll organise dormitories. I’m mostly alone running this, so I’m starting with a small group, see how it plays out. If the system works and if I can get some help teaching and running the school, we’ll be able to welcome more youngsters and have several study groups.”

“That’s good.” She comments. “That’s good.”

Cole takes her hand and gives her a smile. She’s a little overwhelmed, but they both know it’s the best news they’ve had in a long time. Cole has never been happy in regular schools. He’s never been able to make friends. This almost seems too good to be true – which makes Lynn squint, suddenly realizing that yes, it is too good to be true. Realizing that the man in front of her has casually demonstrated he is a _telepath_ ; she doesn’t even want to think about how easily he could be fooling them, building lies of false images and alluring ideas. Does he want to experiment? To use Cole to, to...

“Please, Mrs Sear.” Xavier almost chuckles – but his vibrant blue eyes widen a little in complete honesty. “I understand your concern for your boy, but please believe in the truth of everything I have told you. I am not here to steal him away from you. If you refuse, I will just go. I simply believe it would be a good opportunity for Cole.”

“And you’re doing this out of the goodness of your- Oh.” She cannot believe she hasn’t thought of this little detail before. “How much does this cost?”

“Don’t worry yourself about money.” He says, trying to convey his sincerity again. “It’s really not why I am doing this. Westchester is self-sufficient, my family has been renting out part of the land for half a century, it yields enough income to compensate for maintenance costs, and provided a good management, it will remain so.”

“This is your family home?” Cole picks up.

“Yes.” Charles smiles. “Now you, Cole, have a wonderful mother, you are lucky you could open up to her. Some of your classmates will not be as fortunate, and I am trying to give them a place to call home too.”

“What’s in it for you?” Lynn throws.

“Mom!” Cole frowns at her; Xavier is here to help. He wants to believe. He needs to believe.

Charles sighs.

“I was very much alone growing up.” He explains. “Until I met another mutant, the first mutant I had ever seen beside myself. Raven. She’s the blue-skinned girl you’ve seen in my mind. She became like a sister to me. Later we met others; we helped each other better understand our powers. I started nourishing the illusion that humankind might accept us, but.” He sighs. “Things went wrong, it’s a long story. I fell out with my best friend about it, and when he decided to leave, my sister chose to be on his side. I don’t blame either of them. I just miss them very much. So, yes, I find my own interest in taking in young people like Cole. I don’t want to live alone in that big house, and I want to show other mutants that we can be at peace with ourselves and with society. It’s easier to become hostile, and even dangerous, when you’re alone, and scared, and you don’t control your own body or mind. I know something about that.”

“Cole is not alone.” His mother contests forcefully, tightening her grip on his hand.

“Mom.” Coles repeats, more softly. “I kind of am. I mean you, you are the best, and I love you so much, but I don’t... I don’t have friends. I can’t really talk to anyone about...them.”

“You can talk to _me_!” Lynn tries, her eyes full of tears – because she already knows she’s letting her son go. If he wants this, she cannot hold him back.

Cole shakes his head slowly. “Not really.” He whispers.

“You don’t have to come with me right now.” Xavier says gently, and he gets up. “Take your time. I’ll give you the exact itinerary, and you can join us when you are both ready. Look at the place together, meet the others. You can always turn back if you don’t think you’ll fit in.”

“I’d like that.” Lynn sniffs. “Thank you, Mr Xavier.”

“No, thank you for your time. I know it’s a lot to take in.” He shakes her hand, then Cole’s. “Cole. I hope I’ll see you soon.”

“Me too, professor.”

Charles smiles at the title, and takes his leave. Two minutes after he’s out the door, Lynn thinks that he hasn’t left them a map; only to realize she knows exactly how to go to the school.

“Convenient.” She mutters, for want of allowing herself to freak out again about the telepath’s abilities.

 

*

“Oh, fuck me.”

Cole rolls his eyes, and lets his mother park the car in front of the oh-fuck-me big mansion.

“Didn’t he say he needed staff?” Lynn says half-jokingly. “I can see myself living here.”

Cole smiles nervously. “You remember that thing about making friends?” He says in the same humorous tone. “I’m not sure having your mom on your back is the way to go.” He gasps. “I didn’t mean it like that.” He apologizes. “You’re not on my back. You’re here for me, I’m-”

“It’s okay, Cole.” Lynn ruffles his hair. “I’m mentally prepared for your transformation into a teenager.” She looks back at the house, and takes a deep breath in. “Okay. Let’s check this out.”

As they get out of the car, Mrs Sear stares at the house again, and then jumps back three inches with a yelp.

“Oh my GOD!”

A girl just got out of the house – a girl with pink hair and _wings_.

“Mutants, mom.” Coles reminds her. “Don’t freak out.”

The girl – pixie? – comes towards them in bouncing little steps, a smile across her face. She’s tiny, she cannot be older than Cole, but her almond-shaped eyes, fully black, make her look mischievous, almost mean.

“Hello!” She greets. “Are you going to be a student here?”

Her voice is soft, friendly, melodious maybe. She has an accent, Cole would say British but he’s not quite sure which part of the isles, he doesn’t have that good an ear in spite of quite a few British colonist ghosts he’s met around Philadelphia.

“Yes.” Cole answers. “I’m Cole, nice to meet you.”

“Like Cole Porter?” She beams, and dances a few moves to the music in her head. “Cool. Professor Xavier said people were coming, but it’s only me and another girl for now. I was getting desperate. I’m Megan, by the way.”

They can see Charles Xavier emerge from the house; Megan turns to him and her wings flutter excitedly.

“Professor!” She calls. “Cole’s here!”

Charles reaches their little group with a wide smile. “Hi.” He greets them, extending his hand to Cole, then his mother. “Welcome to Westchester. I’m glad you decided to join us. How was the drive, Mrs Sear?”

“It was.” Lynn nods, a little ill at ease, trying not to stare at Megan’s body features. “It was fine, thank you. The house is amazing.”

“It’s even more awesome inside.” Megan chips in. “Do you want me to show you around?”

“Take it easy, Megan.” Charles mocks her kindly. “Let them breathe. Can I offer you something to drink?”

Professor Xavier is nothing but the perfect host. Fifteen minutes in, Lynn feels almost completely at ease with leaving her son as a boarder here. They’re joined after a while by the other girl Megan mentioned; Cole remembers her, she’s the girl with dark skin and white hair Xavier showed them when he first visited, she controls the weather. Ororo, she introduces herself. Cole notices the two ghosts following her, but he doesn’t say anything. They nod to him, like it’s perfectly normal for the boy to be looking straight at them. He thinks they’re probably her parents, and it makes him both sad and grateful – for his own mother, and for people like Charles Xavier.

Charles offers for Lynn to stay a few days, naturally, but she needs to work. Sure, tuition fees are something Xavier doesn’t even want to hear her mention, but she nevertheless plans on sending Cole a little pocket money every month, and she still has the rent and gas to pay.

Cole walks her back to the car; his throat is tight. He’s excited, very much so, but he has never been apart from his mother before, and if he’s quite sure he can cope without her, he’s not certain she can. At least, he thinks with a little comfort, no more strange phenomenon in the apartment because of his ghosts.

“Will you be okay?” He asks her.

“Look at my face.” She replies seriously, but he can see her eyes welling up. “You don’t worry about me, okay? You make friends, and you learn, and you live your life to the fullest.” She squeezes his shoulder, and adds with a smile: “You call, too. I don’t want to spend more than two weeks without news, all right? And if anything is wrong, _anything_ , Cole, do you hear me? Anything, you call me, I’ll jump right into the car and get you.”

“Sure.” The boy smiles. “I’ll miss you, mom.”

“I’ll miss you too, kiddo. I’ll come to see you soon.”

He nods. She gets in the car, and he watches her drive away, her hand sticking out through the window until she’s completely out of sight.

Cole feels a small hand on his shoulder.

“First time living away from home?” Megan asks kindly.

“Yes.” Cole confirms.

“Come.” She offers. “We’ll make you a new one here.”

**Author's Note:**

> Sooo... I don't know. Continue?
> 
> (PS I've never read the comics, and the general motto in the movies seems to pick some cool mutants at random in the available stack, so I did the same ^^")


End file.
